In a world in which we are bombarded by advertisements in which half-naked women sell anything from food to cars, it's kind of hard to believe that beauty is overrated. We would be foolish to fool ourselves that we wouldn't like to have a nice body and that how we look has nothing to do with how we feel about ourselves because, more than often, it has everything to do with it. I've seen people (both men and women) who go through almost inhumane treatments and diets just to look better. I've also met plenty who are quite overwhelmed by their sense of guilt and self-loathing because they don't look good enough.
It took decades for society to convince us to inflict so much hate upon ourselves due to how we look, and it will probably take many more years before we can set our mind free and stop following a self- destructive perspective which states that confidence = good looks.
With little steps we can change things and evolve into a society that dies not put physical beauty above qualities such as intelligence, kindness or creativity. A current that promotes the idea that you should no identify yourself with how you look, but with who you are, as a rounded being is body neutrality.
Body neutrality fights the idea that you should love your body in order to be able to love yourself. This bold concept promotes the idea that your body is just the shelter you dwell in. How you look should not change the way you feel about yourself and, more importantly, it shouldn't change your relationship with others and how you feel about them in relationship to you
What makes us worthy of appreciation and love is not how we look, but how we behave towards those around us and what values we have. Moreover, beauty, or conventional beauty, to be more precise, is not a quality, but a randomly assigned feature. You are not better, more talented or more worthy of love because you weigh less, you're taller or your eyes have a nicer tint of blue. You are worthy of love and respect if you are fair, kind and respectful.
Therefore, to achieve a true body-neutrality approach in life, you first have to break away from society's stereotypes. You have to stop believing that what is commonly accepted as beautiful (thin women, big-muscle guys, symmetrical features) is also valuable.
If you start looking at people's body simply as the outer layers that cover their inner self and not the most precious thing they have to worry about, you'll relate to them easier. You'll learn how to accept and be accepted because, in the end, isn't acceptance and genuine appreciation what we all long for?
The next day you go to work or school, or wherever you go where you meet people and socialize with them, try to stop yourself from judging those around you based on their physical flaws or qualities. The guard that's in charge of the building you work in shouldn't be just that fat old guy. The waitress at the cafeteria should be that big-breasted blondie and so on. Think about what makes other people, including yourself, truly unique and worthy of appreciation ignoring any protruding physical feature they might have.
Body neutrality challenges the stereotypes that have made conventional beauty a desirable goal and promotes a world in which we are all equal notwithstanding our physical appearance. If you are able to let go of all the nonsense you have been taught ever since you were a child on how important beauty is, you would find yourself gaining much more confidence and time. Time to improve your skills and abilities, time to invest in your personal development and to nurture your passions. Are you ready to embrace such a concept and live by it?